Budget Hotels in Manila

Trips

Top Places To Visit

Places To Stay

About Manila

Being just six hours away from Metro Manila I was enticed to visit the surfing capital of Philippines – BALER. So I booked myself in a van going to Baler. Getting out of Manila is a nightmare, especially on a Friday night. It took me four hours to just get out of Manila. The van journey was neither bad nor good. A sleeper bus might have been a better deal.I reached Baler early morning. I was supposed to camp on the Sabang beach but because of the Typhoon, camping wasn’t allowed. So I took shelter in a local’s house to perch my tent.Read More

Best Time To Visit

Best time to visit Manila is from December to April

Manila

Gallery

How To Reach

Method

Distance

Cost

Duration

Map

Book a Package Tour

Type in your name, email id and our travel partners will get in touch with you.

Search

Being just six hours away from Metro Manila I was enticed to visit the surfing capital of Philippines – BALER. So I booked myself in a van going to Baler. Getting out of Manila is a nightmare, especially on a Friday night. It took me four hours to just get out of Manila. The van journey was neither bad nor good. A sleeper bus might have been a better deal.I reached Baler early morning. I was supposed to camp on the Sabang beach but because of the Typhoon, camping wasn’t allowed. So I took shelter in a local’s house to perch my tent.

So this was our destination itself. The place is famous for its raw, untamed beauty, and the Manila mandir.
We drove till the Manila village looking for hotels to stay (there were only 4 hotels/guest-houses we could find there and 2 of them were full and 2 were closed) and of course, we were damn hungry by then. We were greeted by the village pradhan who owned a Tea stall on the Jainal-Dauntiyal Road. He informed us that whetever we could see in these few tea-stalls is all that is available at this place. Nothing else as it was not the tourist season there! :)
So we decided to have tea at least. Then we saw Maggie and eggs so our breakfast was taken care of at least :)

Manila is pure brouhaha. That's the only word to describe it. Never has organized-chaos looked so appealing. Elongated jeeps called 'Jeepneys', all shiny silver and flashy paint jobs and cyborg-like motorbikes with sidecars called 'Trikes', zip around the roads, skirting traffic. Skyscrapers stand side by side with shanty towns. And the people : Manila is a pretty small city, but there are so many people here that it's earned the title of 'most densely populated city in the world'. But the gentle, Tagalog-speaking folk are a likeable lot, so really, it's okay that there are so many of them.
If you have a few hours in Manila, there are a couple of places you must visit. The Walled City of Intramurous is Manila's oldest district; it was where the Spanish ruled from in the 1500s. Guarding the city is Fort Santiago, built by the conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. National martyr Jose Rizal was imprisoned here before his execution in 1896 for seditious activities. Rizal Park, adjacent to Intramuros, pays homage to the hero, and houses the Rizal Monument that contains Rizal's remains. Intramuros is also well known for its cafes and restaurants. Hunker down at one of them and sate your hunger. Chinatown is nearby and is great for a round of bag-shopping and a dose of the crazy before heading to sophisticated Makati for high-end retail therapy and finally, check out the nightlife at Ermita.
Be wary of people offering you beer- accepting one is a secret code for ....ummm..consent!

Manila, lying on the eastern shore of Manila Bay, is a modern city with modern conveniences, hard-working people and a rich history. It is also the most densely populated city in the world.
Located inside the walled city of Intramuros in Manila lies Fort Santiago, the oldest Spanish fortress in the Philippines. Strategically located near the mouth of the Pasig River just off Manila Bay, Fort Santiago was built in 1571. Originally the site of a Muslim kingdom headed by Rajah Sulaiman the area was destroyed by Spaniards and the fort was built and soon became the main defense fortress during the spice trade with the Americas.
The original earthen and log fort was destroyed by invading Chinese Pirates and was reconstructed with volcanic rock. The fort served as a Spanish Fortress, Headquarters of the US Army during the American colonial period and WW2 and was captured by the Japanese during WW2 and used as a prison.
Most of the fort was destroyed during the Battle of Manila in February 1945 and is now a historical park administered by the Philippine National Parks Development Committee.
Used by the Japanese military, after they captured Manila, numerous Filipino and American prisoners were tortured and executed in the infamous dungeons. Some reports estimate that as many as 2500-3000 Filipinos were executed in Intramuros and Fort Santiago during the last days of Japanese occupation.
A cross bearing an inscription and denoting the final resting place of approximately 600 Filipino and American prisoners is located on the grounds.
Today the dungeons are closed to the public along with the underground chambers. Visitors are allowed in some parts and can walk the grounds.